After President Obama's re-election, Ryan returned to his seat in Congress, and won his own re-election in 2014. The next year, Ryan succeeded John Boehner as Speaker of the House, following the Ohio Congressman's resignation. He was floated throughout the 2016 election cycle as a possible GOP nominee to replace Donald Trump, whom Ryan has supported, but he turned down repeated suggestions to that effect, and told the RNC: "I do not want, nor will I accept, the Republican nomination."

Running for the Republican nomination in his Congressional district in 2016, the Trump-endorsed Ryan beat out Paul Nehlen, a Trump-inspired challenger, by a landslide. In the general election, he faced off against three contenders: Democrat Ryan Solen, Libertarian Jason Lebeck, and Trump Conservative Spencer Zimmerman. Ryan won 70 percent of the vote on Tuesday night.